Zone
by RyoTD
Summary: On hold.
1. Zone 00: Cold

**Neon Genesis Evangelion - Zone**

_An original fanfiction by RyoTD_

Disclaimer n'stuff: I don't own Evangelion, those really cool dudes in Japan do. Go them.

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**Zone 00 - Cold **

**Katsuragi Residence**

Shinji Ikari was dying.

In fact, he had been dying for a long time. Ever since he confronted the twelfth Angel and was caught inside of it. The Evangelion had saved him from dying back then, but it couldn't save him now.

He was cold.

The boy shivered slightly as he eyed the screen of his laptop. Lately, he had begun to take it home after school. It provided him with something to do, another way to escape from reality. He would sit there in his room late at night, playing some pointless games and listening to his old yet trusty tapes on his SDAT, trying to shut out the outside world. Trying to ignore the muffled sounds Asuka crying. She had cried herself to sleep every night since the fifteenth, and sometimes she would wake up early in the morning, screaming. Shinji couldn't bear it. He couldn't bear knowing that she was in such pain, and he could do nothing about it. He had tried, of course, but she had forcefully rejected him, screaming that she hated him. That she hated everybody.

He sighed deeply, now shaking. Somehow, just thinking about the redhead made him feel colder. He slowly turned of his SDAT and, with a gentle pull, removed the earphones from his head. He reached for the computer's power switch...

And she screamed.

Shinji grimaced, tears now forming in his deep blue eyes. He wanted to help her. He wanted to comfort her. Yet, he couldn't even bring himself to get up from his bed and check in on her. All he could do for her was to cry in return. He quickly pulled his covers over him in a desperate attempt to keep himself warm. It was futile, and he knew it.

"I'm pathetic", he whispered softly while tears made their way over his cheeks.

Misato wasn't home that night. Shinji didn't know where she was, but it didn't really matter. He knew what had happened just a few weeks ago. Although she had never told him directly, he knew that Kaji was dead. He hadn't bothered telling Asuka, though. He knew that his redhead roomate was rather infutated with the spy, and he didn't know what she was going to do if she found out about him while she was in this... State...

And Ayanami... It didn't matter how many times he looked at her, the Rei he knew dissapeared when she sacrificed herself and her Evangelion to destroy the Angel.

The end was coming. Shinji found it very hard to move, now that he was numb from the extreme cold that threatened to destroy him completely. No, it didn't threaten him anymore... He was waiting for it, longin for the final escape from the hell that he called his life.

"I'm... Sorry..."

With a final sigh, he closed his eyes one final time. His heartbeats grew weaker, until they didn't come at all.

Death embraced Shinji Ikari, and Shinji Ikari embraced it in return.

He was unaware, though, that his hand had moved shortly before he ceased to exist, typing four letters on his keyboard.

Z O N E

_To be continued...  
_

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A/N - Well, this is my second attempt at a fanfic. No, you won't find "Crusaders of Evangelion" anywhere. It has ceased to exists. It sucked. Go me. Hopefully, this will at least a _little_ better. One of the biggest problems with uploading this fic was the genre. I finally settled for "General", rest assured that there will be small bits of just about every genre. Well, maybe not "Humor/Parody." The rating was another issue. I rated it M just to be safe, but do comment if you think it's unjustified. As for the reviews... Please review. I'll give you cookies if you do. :)

P.S - This fic will (hopefully) be updated every week. That is, if you give me reviews.

P.S 2 - My english is teh sux. Bear with it. Nya.

Until next time, 

_RyoTD_


	2. Zone 01: Crossfire

**Neon Genesis Evangelion - Zone**

_A (somewhat) original fanfiction by RyoTD_

Disclaimer: I still don't own it.

"blablabla" - Speaking

_'blablabla'_ - Thinking

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**Zone 01 - Crossfire**

**Nerv security gate 4**

Sergeant Takahashi was bored. Very bored. Having guard duty on a friday night wasn't really a thrilling experience. Not when his friends probably where having fun on a night club right now, drinkning and dancing. He sighed.

"That was the last time I'd _ever _agree to 'pull a little prank on the superiors'. They won't get away with this..."

A sudden sound stopped his monologue. He quickly leveled his rifle, ready to fight back any opposition. A quick look at his surroundings didn't reveal the position of any possible threats, though. Feeling uncomfortable with his situation, he spoke up.

"Hello...? Anyone there?"

Takahashi waited patiently for a reply. After thirty seconds, he slowly lowered his rifle, only to level it again when he heard another sound. Footsteps. Behind him. He spun around quickly and spoke up again.

"Mizuki? Is that you? Come out of there or I swear I'll..."

Snap.

Takahashi was dead already before he felt the long, grey fingers wrap around his neck.

**Nerv Security Gate 11**

Meanwhile, private Mizuki was having problems of his own. Five seconds ago, he had spotted an intruder trying to make his way into the HQ. Four seconds ago, he had shouted the customary warning before he aimed his rifle at the intruder and fired. Three seconds ago, he had watched bullets hit the man, seemingly ripping him apart. Two seconds ago, he saw nothing but a flash of orange light. One second ago, he felt a powerful impact in his chest that forced knocked him backwards. And now, he opened his eyes to reveal a young man standing in front at him, with a gun aimed at his head.

"Don't speak about this."

The young man holstered his gun and was already inside before the private could answer.

**Nerv sector 48**

Completely oblivious to what happened on the surface level, Asuka Langley Soryu, the Second Children and the designated pilot of EVA-02, made her way trough the seemingly endless corridors of Nerv HQ. After yet another synch test, she was heading to her room to get some sleep.

_'It's not like I have something to do anyway... Hikari still hasn't returned from Europe, and Tomoko... She hasn't called for weeks. Has she already forgotten about me? ... Of course she has. They all do, sooner or later.' _she mused while yawning aloud.

In a few minutes she finally reached the corridor where her room was located. After Misato had gone missing almost two ago, she had moved into the headquarters. _'That's right...' _she thought while she opened the door and entered the small room. _'Isn't it tomorrow?'_ She glanced at her calendar. _'Yeah, tomorrow...'_

The redhead absently changed into her old oversized t-shirt and jean shorts. _'Two whole years since that idiot died...'_

She plopped down on her bed and sighed before reaching behind her back, searching her messy bed for something. After a few seconds her hand finally found it, and she grabbed it forcefully. Shinji's old SDAT. _'I wonder why I took it with me, instead of leaving it in the apartment whit his other stuff.' _ Asuka thought after she had pressed 'play' and heard the piano opening of the first song, 'Komm, süsser Tod'. _'For being so depressing, this song is sure rather upbeat.'_

She flicked the lights off and lay down in her bed. _'Tomorrow is just more tests... Even though there hasn't been any Angel's since Wondergirl blew herself up. I bet they have stopped coming... But the commander still acts like the 17th will attack anytime... But if he's so worried, then why hasn't he gotten any new pilots? I wonder if...'_

A blaring alarm and red flashes of light abrubtly awoke her from her thoughts.

"An attack?"

**Nerv Command Center**

"Blue wavepattern confirmed! It's the 17th!" 1st Lt. Ibuki's voice was suprisingly calm concerning the circumstances. Less than thirty seconds ago, the MAGI had detected an AT field by Security Gate 11 - one of the strongest ones ever detected.

"Blocking sections 8 trough 14!" 1st Lt. Aoba's voice was a little more excited.

"Where's Soryu?" Captain Hyuga, Operations Director of Nerv, demanded.

"She should be in her room in sector 48!"

"Dispatch a team to recover her immediately! If the Angel finds her before we do..."

"Yes, sir!"

Makoto turned his attention to Shigeru. "How come we didn't detect it earlier?"

"It must be considerably smaller than the previous we've fought. It is quite possible that it has human form." the longhaired tech replied.

"I see. Did the surveillance cameras pick up anything?"

"Negative. The AT-field disturbed all kinds of electronical devices in the area. We won't have visual contact with the target in another five minutes."

Above them, the commanders observed.

"So, he has come at last."

"Yes. SEELE must be getting slow. He was supposed to come two years ago."

"Will this affect your scenario, Ikari?"

"Not at all, sensei. Time doesn't matter any longer. It will end soon."

"Sir! We've detected another wavepattern inside of the HQ!"

If anything had ever suprised Gendo Ikari after Yui was absorbed by EVA-01, it was nothing compared to now. He stood up abruptly.

"What did you say?"

"Orange wavepattern confirmed! It's another Angel!" Maya couldn't believe her own words. Shigeru was also shocked, but for other reasons."

"It's multiplying itself! Three, five, eight seperate forms!"

Ikari sat down in his chair again. Slowly.

"Label the eight new entites as the 19th Angel. Escort Pilot Soryu here at once."

"Negative! The 19th has moved into sector 48 and taken out the escort team! Asuka is completely surrounded!" The female tech was panicked.

"And the 17th?" Gendo had already regained his compulsure.

Shigeru stared wide-eyed at his display. "The 17th has moved into sector 48 as well! Are they both going after Asuka?"

**Nerv sector 48**

"Damn it! Where's one of those Nerv standard issue guns when you finally need them!" Asuka growled. Not like she didn't have a good reason to; being chased by something that looked like a space monster has that effect on people. She turned her head to glance backwards while she ran, hoping that she wouldn't see a long, grey and extremely skinny creature with black eyes moving at quick pace only fifty meters behind her. She didn't.

The creature was now twenty meters behind her and closing.

Her situation was becoming pretty desperate. The creature seemed to have very long and sharp claws. She didn't even want to think of the effect they would have on her unprotected body. Finally, the redhead saw a gun lying on the floor, next to an ex-Nerv soldier and the customary puddle of blood. "Finally" she mumbled while picking up the gun, before she aimed it at the now rapidly enclosing creature's head and fired.

... Only to be taken by suprise when her bullets were reflected by a pattern of hexagons that of what seemed to be orange light.

"AT-field?"

She didn't even have time to react before the grey being clenched it's fist and gave her a powerful punch that pushed her into the wall and down to the floor. Asuka couldn't move. The strange creature, seeing that it's target was rendered defensless, moved in for the final strike. It stopped, however, when another bullet hit it's torso from the side. As it turned to face the agressor, several rounds of high-explosive ammunition tore it's face apart. It was dead even before it dropped to the ground.

She turned her head to see a young man, gun in right hand, walking towards her. As he came closer, she noticed that he wasn't wearing a Nerv unifrom. Instead, he wore what seemed to be a typical school uniform for boys: A white short-sleeved shirt and black trousers. His hair wasn't something out of the ordinary, either. Dark brown and short enough to be called short. Asuka shivered. Whoever he was, he had just killed something that could deploy an AT-field - not a simple task, maybe not even with an Evangelion. And yet he had done it with nothing but a simple gun loaded with HE rounds.

A few seconds later, he was standing in front of her and helped her to stand up. Asuka perpared to speak but froze dead in her tracks when she took a moment to look closer at his eyes. His _red _eyes. _'Red... Just like Wondergirl's... What the hell is going on here!'_

The young man stepped back and gave her his gun before he spoke up for the first time. "You can probably use this better than I can. There are still seven left of those left in here." He gestured with his hand towards the skinny... thing that lay dead on the grounds. "We should get out of here."

His voice had sounded strangely familiar somehow. Asuka didn't have time to think about that right now, though.

"What... the hell... are you?" she managed.

The young man, who had already taken a few steps towards the command center, turned around.

"Tabris."

_To be continued...

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Authors self-loathing: Ugh. That sucked, didn't it? I would have given it more time, but I will depart for my grandmother's place tomorrow and I won't be able to write for a week, so I decided to post this today instead of waiting two weeks to upload a fairly short chapter. This chapter was used to desribe what had happened to the NGE cast after Shinji's death, as well as to introduce the new Angel's. And if you're wondering why Gendo didn't call the new Angel the 18th, go watch End of Evangelion. Now.

Note: I won't add any more Angels than this one. The 19th is the first, last and final Angel I will ever add to this story. I won't tell you how long he/she/it is going to be around, though. ;)

Anyways, thanks to my three reviewers! (That's thrice the amount of reviews I got for my first story! Yay!)

CerdicOfWessex: Hopefully this chapter made more sense. Or maybe not. Don't worry, you'll soon see what happened to poor Shinji, if you hadn't guessed already.

bmatsea: Thanks!

tomasz: Thank you. The chapters will most likely be longer than this one in the future.

This is RyoTD, signing off.

_Zone is not preread._

P.S:QuickEdit still sucks.


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